Arcadea, featuring Brann Dailor and Core Atoms, returns with their sophomore album, The Exodus of Gravity. After releasing their self-titled debut in 2017, the psychedelic synth explorers are back with a revamped lineup and a more infectious sound. Joining the core duo of Atoms and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor is João Nogueira, the live synth player for Dailor’s other band, Mastodon. And this time, Dailor handles lead vocals on all 12 of the album’s tracks. The roots of Arcadea go back 30 years, when Atoms and Dailor played together in Gaylord. The Exodus of Gravity carries the prog-funk echoes of that long defunct band while reaffirming the duo’s lifelong friendship. “This album was a super joy for me because it was the first time I got to return to some of the funk that we’re rooted in and Brann is so great at playing,” Atoms says. “He doesn’t always get noticed for that the way he does for his awesome metal chops.” The Exodus of Gravity’s storyline takes place in a post-human universe five billion years in the future, roughly five years after the events described on the debut. Atoms wrote a multi-layered sci-fi treatment from which the album’s lyrics are drawn. But whereas the self-titled debut was labyrinthine and progressive with an emphasis on experimentation, The Exodus of Gravity takes a different approach. “I think the object was to get a little more dancey and a little more fun,” Dailor says. “As much as we liked how proggy the last one was, it reminded me of what I already do in Mastodon. We wanted to explore the idea of doing something different. So, I wanted to really concentrate on groove and dance and embracing the electronic aspect of it.” The Exodus of Gravity was recorded at West End Sound, in the basement of Mastodon’s practice facility, Ember City. It was produced by Arcadea and engineered by Tom Tapley.